Given that parents are letting their kids play in the oil, please note that the American Academy of Pediatrics has released the following statement on the Gulf oil spill:

* Children should be directly supervised and should not be allowed to play in or around areas where the water or beach contains oil or sludge.

* Children, and whenever possible teens, should not be involved in clean-up efforts but should only return after the area is cleaned up. Children should be the last group to return to areas impacted by oil or other toxic substances.

* Children should not be involved in swimming, boating, or clean-up activities in areas impacted by the oil spill.